North America and Pelican Nebula: An Untracked Astrophotography Gem
I've been incredibly inspired by this community, particularly by the untracked astrophotography images that prove amazing results are achievable even on a budget. So, I wanted to share my own budget-friendly take, which I'm quite pleased with!
This image showcases the magnificent North America Nebula (NGC7000) and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070), captured under a Bortle 4 sky.
Since I don't currently own a star tracker, this image was acquired using a completely untracked setup. All it took was my modified Canon 6D, a sturdy tripod, and a budget Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens, zoomed in to 219mm at f/5.
Acquisition Details:
- Exposure: 400 x 2" sub-exposures
- ISO: 6400
- Calibration Frames: 50 darks, 50 biases, 50 flats
Processing:
The data was stacked using Siril and further processed with GraXpert, Siril, and Gimp to bring out the incredible details in these celestial wonders.
It's truly rewarding to see what can be accomplished without the most advanced gear. Keep looking up, and keep shooting!
